Euro Trip 2011: Part 1

We are in Rome, Italy!

After arriving yesterday afternoon, throughly exhausted from our flight, we were thrilled to be greeted at our bed and breakfast by Laura the owner of Aldebaran B&B where we are staying.  Laura is very friendly and really makes us feel right at home, she even refers to it as our home.  We took a nap after getting situated in our room and then woke up in time to go out on the town to see the concert for May Day (Labor Day for Italy) and the celebrations being held in honor of Pope John Paul II being declared blessed.  There were tons of people here for the ceremonies which made for interesting people watching.  We walked around downtown for a while, bought our Roma Pass (best decision ever), ate some Italian Pizza, had my first Cola Light of the trip and ended the night with some delicious gelato.  It was a perfect first day in Rome!

We had a good night sleep and woke up today to some delicious breakfast made by Laura and were joined by other couples staying in the house for some enjoyable morning company, one couple from Spain and the other from England.  After breakfast we were off for a full day of sightseeing.  Thanks to Scott's preparation and Rick Steve's advice our day was wonderful.  

We visited the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Piazza Venezia, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps.  Although the sites were very busy due to all the visitors in the city for the Pope, we didn't wait in any lines and had guided tours without paying a dime.  How you might ask?  Well Scott was on top of it and had us get a Roma Pass which includes all these sites without lines and we downloaded Rick Steve's Audio Tours on our phones, directions and pictures included to give you a free all inclusive tour of all the sites.  Also Rick recommended an inexpensive, delicious place to get lunch which made the day enjoyable and in the budget.  Our day was fantastic and well worth every step on the cobble stone roads.  

I also added my map reading skills and memories of last time I was in Rome to help us get around.

By the end of the day we were ready to get home fast so we hopped on the metro and a couple stops later we were back at Manzoni, our metro stop to our home in Rome.

Stay tuned for the Vatican City and more tomorrow!